Premiere Credit adding jobs to Batavia call center

Premiere Credit of North America, a debt collection firm based in Indianapolis, will be adding 100 new jobs to the Batavia call center it opened early last year.

The new positions are part of a $325,000 expansion of the Mill Street center. The center will also receive a tax break of about $26,000 through the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

The Batavia center is hiring people as managers and collection specialists, and it plans to have a new class of 30 employees by early August, said Harold Wickline, Premiere Credit’s vice president of operations.

The Batavia center, which had 50 employees when it opened in March 2012, will have nearly 200 employees once the expansion is complete, Wickline said. The building will be expanded from 8,500 square feet to about 13,500 square feet.

Wickline described Western New York’s workforce as “incredible” and said he looks forward to growing the company in Batavia.

“This announcement builds on the positive economic development continuing to gain traction in Batavia and throughout the county,” said Steve Hyde, the Genesee County Economic Development Center’s president and chief executive officer.

Premiere Credit is the second Batavia business to announce a significant expansion in the past week. Greek yogurt manufacturer Alpina Foods agreed to purchase 10 additional acres of land next to its recently opened plant, laying the groundwork for a potential expansion of its operations in the coming months.